please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
We visited this venue on Saturday 14th March 2014 before entering we were greated by a very pleasant member of the door team who knew his role and opened the door for Us ( well done sir ) being a Saturday We expected to wait a while at the bar this however was not the case service was very fast and I have to say the uniform these guys wear is very smart there was enough seating and the punters were of varied ages all well behaved My partner wished to purchase some ciggies so I suggested asking the doorman He was very polite and told Her there was a kiosk just around the corner in the precinct ( closes at 11pm ) an all round good pub shame no music as the venue next door WonderWorld is shite cost £18 for us 2 to get in £3 to hang coats drinks were dear so afford Wonderworld stick with Wetherspoons
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An example of why real ale, while important, isn't everything. Some good choices on tap and there is a rotation scheme but it's an aircraft hanger of a place tacked on to the admittedly astounding Snowdome. Little choice elsewhere in a Kingdom of chains and concrete.
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a very good bar indeed, selection of ale good, and even better when imbibed. a step up from the other weatherspoons i visisted which was pants.
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Popular Wetherspoons branch on the outside of a small shopping mall holding a cinema. The interior has pastel coloured walls and a modern feel. Clientele were a mixture of young and old. Several ales were on including a couple of their US beers from the recent festival. Cider was Thatchers Cheddar Valley. Does what is says on the tin.
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A modern, purpose built Wetherspoon�s pub located within the Xscape centre. Curves seem to be the central theme of the pub, with everything from the building itself, the bar, plates on the ceiling, rails on a partition and even some of the tables being curved to some degree or another.
Decor wise it�s all a bit of a mismatch, with at least four different hues of paint being used � Turquoise, Pale Blue, Mustard and Maroon. Most of the flooring is carpet, although there are some big areas of wooden flooring as well. One area at the rear is up a couple of steps and partitioned off to break up the space a little, and the front area has full floor to ceiling windows looking out on to the patio, as well as �portholes� painted on to the walls and wood panelling on the lower part of the walls giving a slightly nautical feel. Besides the usual tables and chairs, there was also a leather sofa or two. There was a bank of fruit machines opposite the bar, and a few plasma�s showing a news channel, although there was no sound.
Bar staff seemed friendly enough, if a little dopey. The barmaid who took my food order seemed to have no idea what a Chicken Bhuna was, and I had to spell it twice. Then I flummoxed her completely by giving her �10.59 for a �5.59 bill. Overall though, this isn�t too bad a place, although obviously it doesn�t have the architectural interest of some of the company�s other outlets. But being in Milton Keynes, it would be somewhat out of place if it did have any architectural significance.
Good choice of beers on tap, although they are currently running a beer festival, so I don�t know what the usual choice is like. On this occasion besides the usual Abbott Ale and Ruddles Best, there was Whitstable Bay Organic Ale from Shepherd Neame, Bateman�s XB, Hook Norton Flagship, Titanic Fit Out, Everard�s Whakatu, Brain�s Dark and Thwaites Daniel�s Hammer. Ciders were also well represented with Strongbow and Thatcher�s Gold being joined by Two Trees Perry and Black Dragon, both from Gwynt y Ddraig and Weston�s Twist with ginger.
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The beer has just got better the last 6-9 months, noticed that the CAMRA guys have been in a lot lately so maybe more people are noticing so the range might get even bigger, though in summer i do like to take advantage of the real ciders, but not too many of them in the sun....
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wow what a difference it was last night at the moon,no entertainment what so ever maybe because the team on the door was different,it made a great night not wondering that if you was laughing so loud you might get thrown out but heighho you did,nt have to keep glancing over your shoulder because the suits were,nt there.the guys that were on the door were great in their job because even they were there you didnt because they kept a low profile and when they did need to show someone the door it was done with a finese and polite manner,in fact the ejected person of which we saw only two was escorted to the door and that was it,a great night was had by all lets hope that weatherspoons has seen the light of the day and take note of the difference the door team makes.
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am writing this in reply to the last entry from davb47,am totally in agreement with his words of wisdom,everything he has said is true,if you want to have a good quiet laugh with you friends then dont go into the moon as they really dont like you having a laugh or two,the said "doorman"said before that they use the minium force in restraining people but if you watch them closely they do actually seem to take great pleasure in inflicting pain when throwing people out and this is done quite carefully so no one notices,i feel sorry for the golfing party as it seems the door personnel seem to target people that are older or of a less stature in build.
i hope that weatherspoons are taking notice of the working practice of the firm that says it is not does not work for weatherspoons but are hred by them,thats funny because i thought the one and two are connected so weatherspoons are directly responsiable for their staff working on the premises.lets hope that they send someone in as a secret shopper to see for themselves whats happening
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I logged on specifically to warn potential visitors about the so-called "security" regime at this pub only to see within the first five comments what seems to be a total vindication of everything I have just complained vigorously to Wetherspoons about.
My friends and I are a bunch of golfers who thought it would be nice to meet up outside of golf once a month on a Thursday evening for a meal. We've been doing this for 6 months now, and for the first time decided to try the city rather than restaurants on the estates. We had a nice meal at the Rajdhani next to Waitrose, and moved on to the Moon Under Water in Xscape, probably chosen because one of my friends has used it at lunch-times fairly regularly over the years.
My first thought was it looked more attractively laid out than I'd expected, though this plus was evened out when we sat down into the sofas/upholstery which were unpleasantly plasticky and unappealing. Anyway that's about it for the general review.
The six of came in after 10 but well before closing - we didn't even know what time closing was, but assumed it might be a little later than 11, being in Xscape. We are all aged between 45 and 65, professional people or retired professional in the case of three of us, and not the type that any bar staff anywhere would have to be concerned about.
After some time a suited gentleman - obviously door staff - came up to the raised area where we were sitting and moved us and everyone else with outstretched arms to the far end of the pub. There were murmurs from people around us as to why this was necessary, two perfectly decent young ladies next to us for instance, but I can't recall what his answer was. No need for us to cause a fuss so we did as were told only to be told a few minutes later that we all had to move again (everyone not only my group). It seemed he was intent on us moving outside. There were several protests from customers, but one of my friends pointed out that the one guy doing all the enforcement seemed to be relishing the discomfort he was initiating. Of course no-one resisted; I am 64 and been in countless situations over the years when you are being treated in a heavy-handed fashion, and this was little more than another one of those. The "security manager" looked like he'd welcome anyone giving him an argument; you've seen it all before.
Maybe he saw there were a group of us; I was the tallest; I was the only one with a full pint of beer; anyway he reached to take my pint from me which I let him have, and in the next breath told me to get out. When my friend asked what offence I had caused the reply was I'd made a "gesture". ????
I've been drinking (beer) in bars all my life and have never ever been thrown out of a pub anywhere in the world. Outside a gentleman came up to me and said he was a publican himself and was sick of seeing this "psycho bully" as he put it, in action. That didn't make me feel any happier and I was more concerned for the safety of two of my friends who had remained inside to confront said doorman/manager. Ironically one of them is the recently-retired manager of one of THE most respected establishments in Mayfair.
I would imagine one of the stated aims of "security management" when his company tout for the business is to "protect" the public; to train staff so that through their actions they reduce the likelihood of trouble occuring. What a joke in the case of this individual! Moving to take a glass from a potential troublemaker is a pretty stupid move unless you know he's perfectly harmless, in which case why do it in the first place? As other people outside, more familiar with his modus operandi were queueing up to tell me. he loves it when customers resist.
I have to say the other gentleman at the door was perfectly civil and calm. J D Wetherspoon apparently have no connection with the security company operating on their premises!
What nonsense! I've written to them, and would advise potential evening visitors that this is not like other Wetherspoons you may know and love. Take notice of the other reviews and let them attract the would-be trouble-makers they deserve.
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a great place to go before going onto somewhere else but dont piss off the doorman because if your face dont fit then your in trouble and you will get turfed out,another tip is dont look like you are enjoying yourself because you will get chucked for being loud,just stay quiet and become a wallflower then they will leave you alone,i felt sorry for the elderly coloured gentleman who no fault of his own bought some food onto the premises and was accosted by the short doorman and a rather untidy floor manager who proceeded to eject him from the premises for having the small bag of food,why they just could,nt tell him in a civil manner that outside food cannot be eaten on the premises, the mind boggles,but having to put him in a necklock and two big burly doorman escorting him out of the door,i cant imagine what this pensioner thought,and this was even after they threw his food into a bin inside the pub,again this tells you this...dont make eye conyact...tell your mates not to enjoy themselves...dont laugh too loud...esp dont loiter inside the space between the double for this is their domain and they dont like that at all
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I am on the front door every weekend and can happily guarantee there is not a single person underage in the venue nor is my time spent flirting (my wife who is often in the venue would be happy to confirm this) .
As i have said all of our team have shoulder word CCTV cameras with audio and every single event where we have had to use force is viewed by management and most often police. If you have witnessed part of an indecent that you believe unreasonable force was used, feel free to come and talk to me with a date and time and i will review the footage and audio and i am sure i can justify the actions of my team. These cctv is in place not only for the safety of the public but also to protect our team when false accusations like this are made. While the chance you have seen someone taken to the ground is very possible this is for the safety of everyone involved when people get aggressive. This not only protects us as doorman but also the person in question as it eliminates the need from violence on our part. This technique is something that as a control and restraint instructor i have taught to my students for many years and will continue to do so.
Your comments are clearly untrue and based on a personal problem with our team and again i will extend my offer for you to come and talk to me personally regarding this at the venue any time you wish.
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in answer to the head doormans answer dated 15 dec 2010 to my review i would like to point out all my points were based on a 100% sober annual pub/eating audit.on average i have sent numerous reports to firms based on a night spent in the various nightspots.i have never seen in any other pub/bar where the doormen openly flirt and cuddle with the female customers and in doing so miss entrants coming into the premises that were openly under aged,again if they were going about their jobs properly the paying customer would be of the legal age.
also i would like to point out about the violence that was pointed out,again you say no such violence is used and if it is only in "extreme conditions" well sitting in the moon several weeks ago i was off "duty"from making reports and witnessed a young man taken to the floor between the doors by all doormen sitting on him,he was actually stating pain was being caused by someone twisting his arm and could,nt breathe as someone was sitting on his back perhaps this was cordoned because he was of the eithic race but we will nether know
.as to the bags searches no security personel are allowed to place their hands inside bags mainly because two reasons ..one is sharps and the other is the fear they could be planting items inside.
to see what goes on goes beyond belief perhaps the chief constable in making job cuts in bedfordshire would be better off looking to employing doormen instead of policemen on our streets.
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this is a reply to snowbladers comment on 21 Nov 2010. I am the Head Doorman of Moon Under Water.
I can only assume by your comment that you feel in some way wronged by the acthion of our door team at Moon Under Water so i wanted to take this time to reply to a few of your comments. May i also add i am very happy for you to come and talk to me personally with any issues you may have. Our team do not work for Wetherspoons and have no links to the company. We are contracted in as expert security providers.
Our main aim is to insure a safe and pleasant environment for customers and staff inside the venue, we do this by enforcing simple and fare rules. We have a very relaxed approach and our rules are set to fit this such as a very lose dress code. On some occasions as with most very busy venues some customers are out simple to cause trouble and we will on every occasion attempt to keep trouble out of the venue or deal with any incidence without the need for any force. Our security operatives have high tech mobile CCTV footage recoding with audio at all times and this is regularly viewed by management and the police to insure duty's are performed within the law and in a way that keeps up the customer service levels we expect. AT NO POINT DO OUR DOORMAN USE VIOLENCE EVEN WHEN FORCE IS NEEDED.
Body searches and bag searches are performed on a regular basis and are totally random. The venue and security and within our rights to do this as a condition of entry and this is done again for the safety of the public. You are well within your rights to refuse a search but i am afraid to say if you do so entry will be refused.
The tables have been moved from the main bar area on a Friday and Saturday night for sometime now. This is due to health and safety issues when the venue is busy and the high volume of people standing in this area. There is plenty of seating at both the front and rear of the pub and only 3 tables are being moved to clear this space.
As a whole the moon under water is one of the safest venues to drink in and around the area. In the 3 years i have worked there i have never seen a serious indecent. If you want a relaxed place to sit and chat with friends the moon is the place to be.
Again if anyone has any issues with the way the door team carry out there very difficult job (a job that often faces drunk and aggressive behavior) then feel free to come and talk to us at a time when you are sober and i am sure we can answer and explain any concerns
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Quite a few real ales on offer, unfortunately they tend to be a bit cold. Good location and not a bad place overall.
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ok if you want to go out for the night and see a good floorshow then pop into moon and watch the doormen go about their business,if you are lucky enough to get in without being stopped and searched and abused great you are in for a great night watching the show,they seem to have a power that is only second to none apart from the police,there are the main stars worth watching and they always remind me of a good comedy act but the name eludes me,it amazes me who gave them the right to search handbags internally i always thought that all security personnel could not put their hands inside when searching,these guys apart from one who uses his brain before his fists seem to have in their heads the god given right that they can abuse people in doing their jobs,it has now become a good night now when we all go to the moon just to see how people can get thrown out and in what way and how far they bounce when three bouncers throw them.otherwise its in all a good pub/bar but can someone please explain why they keep moving the stalls and tables when it was perfectly the best when the tall chairs and tables were in the front by the windows.go there for cheap drinks before going to oceana,s
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Always enjoy having a different ale here, usually like to eat in one of these pubs too, the food is always good. Standard menu with steak and curry nights weekly. Simple but it works
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This pub is always busy with a selection of ales on, don't understand why it is not in the good beer guide? Food always great, handy when you have just been to the cinema. Good wines as well, chilled - not like most of the other pubs in this town which seem to keep offering me chardonnay...
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A typical Wetherspoon pub with the typical Wetherspoon prices attracting the typical Wetherspoon crowd. I haven't tried to food yet (though it can't be any worse than the kebab van outside) and do intend to try it some time. I tried several beers and my nightcap - JD & Coke (or just JD). All were served well and quick enough. My rating is based on drink only and is based on quality and price. I haven't tried this venue on it's most popular nights.
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Good selection of real ales and prompt service at the bar. It's easily the best pub in Central Milton Keynes (but that's not saying that much).
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Good Ale house. Very prompt service on the food order.
xh558 - 30 Aug 2008 15:36 |
I have never been to this pub but that was on the advice of the manager of the other JDW's. He said you would only go there if you were looking for trouble. Admittedly it was a Saturday afternoon and MK Dons supporters were starting to appear in the pub we were in.
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Cheap hangout for the worst of Milton Keynes' chavs, pikeys and people with borderline personality disorders.
lupus - 20 May 2005 09:23 |
a great place and very cheap, nice atmosphere- however avoid at all costs on a thursday/fri/sat evening if you dont like a really packed venue.food not bad - the chips arent the best though.
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Very Busy Pub, normally good selection of Real Ale fairly well looked after, And its Cheapppppp...
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Cheap drinks, therefore best place to start before heading into Oceana just next door! If you don�t like the bar/club scene then you won�t like this bar! Very busy on Thursday nights, so order several drinks at a time!
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ok, this bar does my head in! the first time i went in there i was 17, so fair enough they id'd me!!! when i turned 18 i took id with me and so they served me for the next couple of weeks, the one time i dont take it in there, the same bar staff ask me for id!!!! whats that about? i dont go there anymore! its annoyed me so much! i prefer the proper clubs anyway!
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Not exactly a pub, more of an alco-pop creche filled with shrieking girls and belligerent males. Best avoided - advice that should be applied to Milton Keynes in general.
Eamonn - 8 Jun 2004 18:42 |
one of the bar men in there is so hot!!! id go in just for him!!!
anonymous - 7 Jun 2004 16:26 |
superb night out. the staff are good looking friendly and fun and its cheap as chips!!
anonymous - 7 Jun 2004 16:13 |
Absolutely, get drunk in moon under, on to oceana and the disco room for the rest of the night. Fantastic night out.
: ) - 22 Oct 2003 16:15 |
"Its a barn, full of kids."
18 is classed as a kid? Get with the times mate, your to old to be drinking in the theatre district, go to your local pub if you dont like it. The bar is great as is the atmosphere, drinks are cheap compared to other venues to, this bar is best followed with a trip to oceanas next door to finish the night!
Dave - 27 Aug 2003 15:29 |
Its a barn, full of kids.
anonymous - 30 Jul 2003 12:54 |
